The heat was really bearing down on them as they moved through the woods and Daryl felt bad for the girl. She looked dead on her feet but if he wanted to have a chance of getting her to the group she was with then he needed her to keep moving. Looking down again he slowed his pace for her and she looked up at him again the same wide eyes as before. She opened her mouth but shut it fear flashing in her eyes.
"Got something you wanna say?" Daryl prompted his eyes scanning the woods.
He watched her tense out of the corner of his eyes and held his breath. She more than just jumpy she was downright terrified of him. He wanted to blame it on the situation but something in him kept saying it was more. It was the way she had said Ed was dead. There was no real emotion behind those words not like there was when she said she didn't know about her mother. Daryl didn't want to think about the possibilities of the girl growing up with a bastard of a father but the proof was stacking already.
She cleared her throat like he had earlier getting her attention. Looking down she waited till he met her eyes and then she gave him a shy smile, "What is your name?"
"Daryl."
She nodded and then tilted her head, "Daryl why are you alone out here? Did your family lose you too?"
Daryl snorted at her and shook his head, "Nah girl was huntin'."
Sophia made a noise and looked at him, "Hunting with all those...things here?"
Daryl looked down at her and stopped walking, "You feel that gnawing in your stomach? You wanna eat you best learn some survival skills kid."
Scuffing her feet on the ground she shook her head, "I can make eggs."
Daryl wanted to say something smart assed but just bit his tongue. It was hard then he found himself wanting to laugh at just how serious she was. She looked up at him and he seen her eyes were a little clearer than before. She had some color back to her skin. He wanted to get a look at her hands but she was still to skittish to let him check her still yet. He could see blood on her fingers and figured it was from all the brush then trying to climb the tree.
Daryl just hummed in his throat and she smiled. It was a vast improvement on the sorrow filled look she had worn earlier. Daryl started walking again and she fell in step with him her little body shuffling closer to him and just slightly in front.
"How do you know where to go?"
Daryl sighed and pointed to the ground, "You made clear enough tracks any body could find your ass."
"Well excuse me Mr. Know-it-all." She huffed. She paused in her steps immediately as looked at her trying to fight smiling. She had fire and she clearly had a smart mouth on her. She looked up her face flushing, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to back talk."
Daryl shook his head, "You got something to say kid you fuckin' say it."
She studied him for a minute before nodding and they started walking again. He looked up at the sky and watched the clouds and the sun and let out a breath. There would be no hunting today. The sun was close to setting and he could hear the animals moving to go to ground for the night. If he didn't find her group in the next little bit he was going to have to find them somewhere to stay for the night.
They walked for another hour before Daryl veered off to the right motioning for her to follow him. He wanted to know just how long the girl had run because they'd been fucking walking for no less than three hours by his estimate. It was too late to have her out walking in the woods and not able to see what was around them now.
"Come here." Daryl motioned her over and Sophia stepped right next to him shivering.
"Are we far?"
"You said a highway right kid?" Daryl questioned squatting down eye level with her.
She nodded, "There was a lot of cars everywhere."
Daryl knew of several different areas that this could be and none of him made him feel any bit better. If as many as she had mentioned earlier went through there then things weren't looking good. He didn't tell the girl that but he didn't have a very good feeling about this. Somethings were just better left unsaid.
Pulling his hunting pack out he started rifling through and found Mac's shirt that somehow always made it in his shit to carry. Pulling it out he handed it over to her and she gave him a smile that again lit her little face up. She pulled it on and he stood up. Daryl shouldered his stuff and walked over looking up the tree and smiling.
"Come here." Daryl called to her.
Sophia appeared draped in Mac's shirt and he laughed at how it was on her. It dwarfed her little frame and he shook his head at the image. Daryl pointed up and she squinted then looked at him.
"Why is there a seat in the tree?"
"Tree stand kid...tree stand."
"More of this hunting stuff?" Sophia questioned.
Daryl felt the slightest upturn of his lip and nodded, "Yeah huntin' stuff."
Daryl explained what he was going to do and Sophia rolled up the sleeves of the shirt exposing her hands and stepping in front of him. Daryl stepped up to her and picked her up and she grabbed onto the limb just below the stand. Daryl released her when she was steady and then swung his own body up into the tree. Sophia was perched looking at him in the fading light waiting on his move. He motioned to the tree stand and she scrambled into and he moved behind her.
"Good." He mumbled seeing it was the type that came with the safety harness. He brought it around her waist and locked her in so she wouldn't fall and then moved back to the limb over from her. There was room enough for him or her but not both. He set back on his limb putting his back to the tree and watched the sun set through the trees.
The rest of the world might have fallen into oblivion but this moment right here. The days have come and gone and people lives went so fast now days. Watching as the sun burned the last of the day away through the canopy of the trees and the stars starting to peak out he knew this was all that they had left. There was no returning from the bombings, the fires, the despair, and complete destruction of the cities and civilization. This was the world now.
Daryl cut his eyes over to Sophia and she was cuddled up in the shirt her little body looking even smaller. The world belonged to the dead now but for the few out there it was worth the fight to see things like this. Too see the sun set one last time, to see or have the chance to save someone or a kids life.
Sophia whimpered and he looked back over seeing her kick her legs out and thrash. He moved over to her as she got louder and shook her leg and she stilled at the sound of his voice.
"Daryl?"
He cleared his throat and set back down but next to the tree stand this time, "Yeah."
"You aren't gonna leave me up here are you?"
Daryl looked over at and shook his head, "Sleep kid, I'll be here when you wake up."
Arching his back Daryl groaned as his entire body came alive with aches of sleeping in the tree and how little sleep he had got. Looking over he seen Sophia nestled safely in place. Daryl let himself drop quietly to the ground and walked around behind the tree out of sight in case she woke up so he could piss. Before he even got his belt done back he heard her frantic movements as she tried to get free of the harness.
"DARYL!" She cried out.
Stepping around the tree Daryl looked up at her and jumped catching the branch and getting himself back up there before she fell out. As soon as she seen him he felt horrible for the tears on her face. She looked at him and then her face changed.
"You said you'd be here." She huffed.
Arching a brow he reached over undoing the harness and looking at her. Before she could move he caught her hands and started looking at the torn palms and bruises on her. He looked up at her as he got his pack and started cleaning her hands. She hissed trying to pull away but he captured both her little wrist in his hand and shook his head at her.
"Wasn't leaving you." Daryl spoke low listening to things around them. The woods were alive this morning which was a good sign.
Sophia looked down at the ground and at him her little legs dangling, "I don't wanna jump what if I break my back."
Daryl got his shit and jumped down and set it to the side. Looking up he motioned to Sophia to move through the limbs to the lowest one. "I want you to climb as low as you can and then let go...I'll catch you."
"You wont let me break myself?"
Daryl bit his lip and nodded, "You aint gonna break shit."
She mumbled under breath and started moving through the limbs faster than he thought she would. She wasn't afraid of heights at least there was that. She got to the limb and done as he said but wouldn't let go. She kept looking down at him as she just dangled.
"Sophia you gotta let go you can't just hang there all day." Daryl challenged.
"Bet I can."
Daryl growled, "If your ass is just gonna hang there then I'm going on kid."
"NO!" She let go suddenly and crashed into his arms and chest and he set her to the ground.
Daryl got another gem of amusement when he told her where she was supposed to use the bathroom. He made him question where exactly her and her group had stayed if she was disgusted by using the bathroom outdoors. He sure as hell hadn't care at her age to whip it out piss if he had too.
Walking Daryl started seeing more track. Larger track that were men moving through the area and he had hope that it was her group. Stopping at a small stream Daryl looked at her, "You remember crossing this?"
Sophia's eyes were wide and she shrugged, "Everything happened so fast."
Daryl nodded and shouldered his pack and lifted her suddenly causing her to yelp. He shushed her and carried across the water and making sure she stayed dry. That would be all he need was her sick or with soaked feet walking in the heat. Both would cause issues fast out here without doctors to spare. Setting her down she righted her newly acquired shirt and adjusted her doll in her arms.
Walking some more he seen more signs of people and let out a breath. There was hope. Coming to a hill that was topped with guard rails Daryl looked over at her and pulled her in front of him to make sure she didn't fall. Getting to the top he stepped over before her. He looked around making sure nothing was in the vicinity that would hurt her and then he turned lifting her over the guard rail.
She mocked him and stayed quiet and right next to him. Daryl looked down the highway trying to see a gap to get an idea of where the group was likely parked. They had to be at one end or the other. The thought alone made him sick when he thought about walking on hot as fuck asphalt. Shit had to be done though and he started in the direction of highway that would lead towards Atlanta. She had mentioned being close at one point to there so hopefully they were down here and he could get her back to her mother.
They had walked for a while and she was swiping her hair back from her face and huffing. "You know I get it now."
Daryl looked down and raised a brow, "Care to elaborate?"
"I get why my mama keeps her hair short." Sophia swiped at her sweaty tangled hair again and growled, "Cause this is just too much."
Daryl nodded at her words and tried to piece the image of her mother together from the little insights she had given him. He didn't know if she took after her mother or father but he had a feeling that her sassy assed attitude that kept appearing at random was from her mother. He hadn't heard anything else about her father and he figured that was for a reason.
Daryl came to a stop when they got to an area that had fresh walker kills and looked around. He wanted to call out but that was just fucking stupid. Sophia was getting anxious next to him now that she knew where she was and kept peaking around. Daryl brought his finger to his lips and shushed her and started walking slowly up through the cars and his eyes and ears on high alert.
A groan sounded and he felt her little body press to the back of his and he shifted immediately in front of her. The walker lumbered out and seen them its face was torn to bits and it had only half an arm but that didn't mean it was any less dangerous. Moving quick he sunk his knife into it and let it fall to the ground. He didn't hear anything else and started walking again.
When they got to the end she made a noise in her throat. He looked down but his eyes went right back up to the vehicle setting front and center. It read clear as day for Sophia to stay here that they would come back. They had left her supplies and she was looking at the words like they weren't the last thing left from her group. She set down in the shade of the car and wrapped her arms around her legs.
He didn't know what the hell to say to her and sure as shit didn't know what to do if she started crying. The heat of the day was on them but at least there was shade tucked away in next to the car. Daryl dropped down next to her and handed her another bottle of water. She slowly sipped it her little eyes watching down the road.
Leaning back against the car he could only hope that they hadn't missed them today. He couldn't imagine a mother willingly leaving her child or a group for that matter. They had to come back. Had to.